Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1887-05-12
A VIVID PICTURE OF CAPITAL
PUNISHMENT IN SPAIN.
The Prisoners Iron Collar of
Death,

for tho murder of Juan Ximenes, a no
tary. Says the writer: The foreigner
who this morning saw the Puerto de
Sor the first time would have though
Madrid had gone wild with noisy mer
riment-just as upon the occasion o
some royal ceremony ut the ancien
church of Antocha, or Of some grea
bull fight exhibition under the manage
ment Of Cartiio Mazzantini.
Riding superb Andalusian horses
with small heads and finely archet
necks-horses that seemed to have step
ped out of some canvas by Velasquez-
the elegant young men of the city pass
ed by at canter, all delicately gloye,
and wearing turberoses at their button
holes, rs il they we're going to the Re
tlro to wait for the advent Of the open
carriage of somo belle.
1t was 8 O'Clock III the morning whel
| left my house. Although the hea
was already overwhelming, | resolved
to go on foot from the corner OF tn,
Gale ed Alcala to the place of eXecu
ton. The nearer approached th,
square the more compact became tn,
crowd. To proceed at all soon became
impossible. The crowding and push
ing, however, only increased the merri
ment Of the mischieyous girls of Mad
rid.
Suddenly the crowd halts and n great
silence falls. A close carriage, with
blinds down, escorted by picket OF
civil guards, slowly passes through the
press. We can follow it without hurry
ing ourselves.
In little while the place Of execu.
ton appears before me, thronged with
Il multitude swaying like tide, and mp
from the sea of heads emerges the
white mast of the scaffold.
approach.
Lying upon Il stool, covered with a
snow white cloth, is the garrote itself
shimmering like crown of steel. In q
little while the eXecutioner will attach
1t TO post against which the criminal
is 10 be fastened. The final prepara-
tions consumed considerable time, so
that | was well able to make leisure'y
examination Of the sinister locality
whittier curiosity had drawn me for the
purpose Of studying the plysiognomy
of tie great pushing or squeezing
crowd. AS always, and in all places,
the women were the most humorous.
The plaza where the execution took
place is on very high ground, and the
pure air one breathes there must in
crease the Grim inal's regret for life at
the moment when his respiration is a.
bout 10 be cut short forever. The hous-
es surrounding it, mostly of humble
aspect, are widely interspaced. Be-
tween them stranger who loves class.
ic landscapes can obtain good view OF
the sunburned and yellow plains of
Nueya Castillo and the blush noun
tains of Guadamara in the horizon.
The deploy of military forces about
the scaffold was considerable. count
ed no less than six detachments OF diff
erent corps. There were lancers with
Prussian shaped helmets OF brass, gen.
darmes in black with yellow straps and
belts and white trimmings, blue uni
formed light cavalry, infantry, proYin-
cial guards with red caps. The mar
tial department of men, nearly all
young, strong and handsome, impress
ed me very much.
Now there is great movement a
round the scafTold. The soldiers close
their ranks and three men approach the
scaffold. One Of them aScends it. 1t
is the executioner. He is thin, low,
sized and looks about forty years old.
While waiting for his victim he keeps
walking nervously to and fro with his
hands behind his back and his head
down. From time to time he stops and
looks at the argolla 1.-THE "garrote",
with a suspicious expression of counte-
nance. Perhaps he is afraid of the
power of resistance possessed by the
cervicaI yertebn of Alvarez, and i:
therefore afraid OF losing his bounty.
Noisy as it was little while ago, The
crowd now suddenly becomes silent
Some women are turning pale /; and ont
can feel that nervous excitement
weighs upon the scrowd. A low rum
bling is heard. 1t is the black carriage
that bears the condemned man. Il
stops at the foot of the scaffold anC
the criminal is soon painfully climbing
the twelve high steps of the disma
scaffold, leaning on the arm of a priest
Another priest precedes him, lifting
very high an immense crucifiX, TOWARD
which the condemned man strives L
turn his terror-stricken face. Alvarez
DIVA is not yet twenty-five years old
and it was believed that the savage en-
OiSy uc Hdu uIoplaytu III Soihuuibtihs
bis crime, together with his vigorous
youth, would give him strength to fac,
death. But nothing of the kind is now
shown by him /; and really it was toe
much to expect of man who knew his
fate forty EIGHT hours ago. and who
while listening to the funeral chants il
the prison chapel, must have beheld al
kinds of hideous visions passing be.
fore him.
AS | stood on an elevation overlook
ing the scaffold, | was able to observ,
all the details of the last scene of tn,
tragedy. The condemned man mechan
ically yielded himself up to the execu
tioner. The latter sat him down at Tn,
foot of the post, with his back to it,ant
then tied his hands and feet hard ant
foot Ia did ali this Uithn burrv,pn